Ferroelectric polymers

Piezoelectricity and pyroelectricity, traditionally encountered in certain single crystals and ceramics, have now also been documented in a number of polymers. Recently, one such polymer-poly(vinylidene fluoride)-and some of its copolymers have been shown to be ferroelectric as well. The extraordinary molecular and supermolecular structural requirements for ferroelectric behavior in polymers are discussed in detail, with particular emphasis on poly(vinylidene fluoride). Piezoelectric, pyroelectric, and ferroelectric properties are also briefly reviewed, as are some promising applications of such polymers.     

High-performance photorefractive polymers

Photorefractive materials can form "instant" holograms without time-consuming development steps. Their potential applications include image processing, optical data storage, and correction of image distortion, but the cost of crystal growth and preparation has been a primary impediment to commercial application. Polymers, on the other hand, are low in cost and readily fabricated in a variety of forms. Photorefractive polymers were constructed with performance that matched or exceeded the performance of available photorefractive crystals. The largest observed two-beam energy coupling gain coefficient for the polymers was 56 per centimeter.     

An "endless" route to cyclic polymers

A new synthetic route to cyclic polymers has been developed in which the ends of growing polymer chains remain attached to a metal complex throughout the entire polymerization process. The approach eliminates the need for linear polymeric precursors and high dilution, drawbacks of traditional macrocyclization strategies, and it effectively removes the barrier to producing large quantities of pure cyclic material. Ultimately, the strategy offers facile access to a unique macromolecular scaffold that may be used to meet the increasing demand of new applications for commercial polymers. As a demonstration of its potential utility, cyclic polyethylenes were prepared and found to exhibit a variety of physical properties that were distinguishable from their linear analogs.     

Microfabricating conjugated polymer actuators

Conjugated polymer actuators can be operated in aqueous media, which makes them attractive for laboratories-on-a-chip and applications under physiological conditions. One of the most stable conjugated polymers under these conditions is polypyrrole, which can be patterned by means of standard photolithography. Polypyrrole-gold bilayer actuators that bend out of the plane of the wafer have been microfabricated in our laboratory. These can be used to move and position other microcomponents. Here we review the current status of these microactuators, outlining the methods used to fabricate them. We describe the devices that have been demonstrated as well as some potential future applications.     

Some applications of fluorimetry to synthetic polymer studies

Fluorimetry, a powerful research tool in the study of biological macromolecules, has a number of valuable applications in investigations of synthetic polymers. These techniques reveal the microscopically heterogeneous distribution of species in polymer systems, which is specially pronounced in solutions of polyelectrolytes. They also allow us to study conformational mobility of flexible chains, diffusion-controlled intermolecular reactions of macromolecular reagents, glass transition phenomena, and polymer compatibility.     

Silica-like malleable materials from permanent organic networks

Permanently cross-linked materials have outstanding mechanical properties and solvent resistance, but they cannot be processed and reshaped once synthesized. Non-cross-linked polymers and those with reversible cross-links are processable, but they are soluble. We designed epoxy networks that can rearrange their topology by exchange reactions without depolymerization and showed that they are insoluble and processable. Unlike organic compounds and polymers whose viscosity varies abruptly near the glass transition, these networks show Arrhenius-like gradual viscosity variations like those of vitreous silica. Like silica, the materials can be wrought and welded to make complex objects by local heating without the use of molds. The concept of a glass made by reversible topology freezing in epoxy networks can be readily scaled up for applications and generalized to other chemistries.     

Reticulated nanoporous polymers by controlled polymerization-induced microphase separation

Materials with percolating mesopores are attractive for applications such as catalysis, nanotemplating, and separations. Polymeric frameworks are particularly appealing because the chemical composition and the surface chemistry are readily tunable. We report on the preparation of robust nanoporous polymers with percolating pores in the 4- to 8-nanometer range from a microphase-separated bicontinuous precursor. We combined polymerization-induced phase separation with in situ block polymer formation from a mixture of multifunctional monomers and a chemically etchable polymer containing a terminal chain transfer agent. This marriage results in microphase separation of the mixture into continuous domains of the etchable polymer and the emergent cross-linked polymer. Precise control over pore size distribution and mechanical integrity renders these materials particularly suited for various advanced applications.     

Surface-responsive materials

Synthetic polymers offer a wealth of opportunities to design responsive materials triggered by external stimuli. Changing the length, chemical composition, architecture, and topology of the chains allows response mechanisms and rates to be easily manipulated; and devices based on the entropy of the chains, surface energies, and specific segmental interactions can readily be made. Although numerous applications exist, intriguing possibilities are emerging that have tremendous potential to further developments in surface-responsive materials.     

Polymer-polymer phase behavior

Different polymers can be combined into a single material in many ways, which can lead to a wide range of phase behaviors that directly influence the associated physical properties and ultimate applications. Four factors control polymer-polymer phase behavior: choice of monomers, molecular architecture, composition, and molecular size. Current theories and experiments that deal with the equilibrium thermodynamics and non-equilibrium dynamics of polymer mixtures are described in terms of these experimentally accessible parameters. Two representative molecular architectures, binary linear homopolymer mixtures and diblock copolymers, exhibiting macrophase separation and microphase segregation, respectively, are examined in some detail. Although these model systems are fairly well understood, a myriad of mixing scenarios, with both existing and unrealized materials applications, remain unexplored at a fundamental level.     

Pyrolysis mass spectrometry of complex organic materials

Pyrolysis mass spectrometry in combination with computerized multivariate statistical analysis enables qualitative and quantitative analysis of nonvolatile organic materials containing molecular assemblies of a complexity and size far beyond the capabilities of direct mass spectrometry. The state of the art in pyrolysis mass spectrometry techniques is illustrated through specific applications, including structural determination and quality control of synthetic polymers, quantitative analysis of polymer mixtures, classification and structural characterization of fossil organic matter, and nonsupervised numerical extraction of component patterns from complex biological samples.     

Effects of Carboxymethylcelluloses （CMC） on Some Hydraulic Properties of Sandy Soil

The property of hydrophilic polymers capable absorbing huge volumes of water led to many practical applications of these new materials in arid regions for improving the water retention in sandy soils. Effects of four carboxymethylcelluloses (CMC), mixed at various rates with the sandy soil, on the water-holding capacity and hydraulic conductivity (KS ) when leached with distilled water (simulating rain), tap water, and saline water were evaluated. The maximum water absorption of CMCs ranged between 80 and 100 kg ? kg-1 of polymer; however, the absorbent swelling capacity decreased significantly with increasing the salt concentration in the solution. The water absorption capacity of CMCs decreased significantly when incorporated in the sandy soil compared to that of the absorbent alone. Application of CMC increased significantly the available water content up to 3 ± 0.5 times. All soils treated with CMCs showed a significant lower in KS compared to the control soil. Meanwhile, KS was found increased with increasing the salt concentration in the leaching solution. This understanding of characteristics of the absorbents and the interactions among absorbents, soil, and irrigation water quality would be of help in water management of sandy soil.     

Biodegradable, elastic shape-memory polymers for potential biomedical applications

The introduction of biodegradable implant materials as well as minimally invasive surgical procedures in medicine has substantially improved health care within the past few decades. This report describes a group of degradable thermoplastic polymers that are able to change their shape after an increase in temperature. Their shape-memory capability enables bulky implants to be placed in the body through small incisions or to perform complex mechanical deformations automatically. A smart degradable suture was created to illustrate the potential of these shape-memory thermoplastics in biomedical applications.     

原花青素的性质、功能、纯化和利用

原花青素广泛分布于高等植物的多种器官和组织中,是黄烷-3-醇的游离、寡聚或多聚物,存在侧基修饰、异构性质、聚合方式、聚合度等的多样性,可采用多种色谱和质谱技术进行纯化和鉴定。原花青素对于植物具有抗紫外线、清除自由基、抗病驱虫、影响种子休眠等功能,影响作物品质等性状,对人体也具有多种生理功效,在药物、化妆品、食品等领域有良好的应用前景。     

Trends in polymer development

Polymer science and technology has flourished as polymers with many new compositions have been, synthesized. The range of properties attainable has been continually extended, providing materials with higher strength, better reinforcing capabilities, and greater resistance to extreme thermal and corrosive environments. Examples of evolutionary developments in the polyamides, the fluorocarbon resins, and the aromatic engineering plastics are used to illustrate the trends. It is expected that this process will continue in order to meet changing needs and that emphasis will be put on selective polymer design for specific applications.     

Synthesis of zeolite as ordered multicrystal arrays

Zeolites are crystalline nanoporous aluminosilicates widely used in industry. In order for zeolites to find applications as innovative materials, they need to be organized into large two- and three-dimensional (2D and 3D) arrays. We report that uniformly aligned polyurethane films can serve as templates for the synthesis of uniformly aligned 2D and possibly 3D arrays of silicalite-1 crystals, in which the orientations of the crystals are controlled by the nature of the polymers. We propose that the supramolecularly organized organic-inorganic composites that consist of the hydrolyzed organic products and the seed crystals are responsible for this phenomenon.     

Nanoparticle polymer composites: where two small worlds meet

The mixing of polymers and nanoparticles is opening pathways for engineering flexible composites that exhibit advantageous electrical, optical, or mechanical properties. Recent advances reveal routes to exploit both enthalpic and entropic interactions so as to direct the spatial distribution of nanoparticles and thereby control the macroscopic performance of the material. For example, by tailoring the particle coating and size, researchers have created self-healing materials for improved sustainability and self-corralling rods for photovoltaic applications. A challenge for future studies is to create hierarchically structured composites in which each sublayer contributes a distinct function to yield a mechanically integrated, multifunctional material.     

Nanomaterials: a membrane-based synthetic approach

Materials with nanoscopic dimensions not only have potential technological applications in areas such as device technology and drug delivery but also are of fundamental interest in that the properties of a material can change in this regime of transition between the bulk and molecular scales. In this article, a relatively new method for preparing nanomaterials, membrane-based synthesis, is reviewed. This method entails synthesis of the desired material within the pores of a nanoporous membrane. Because the membranes used contain cylindrical pores of uniform diameter, monodisperse nanocylinders of the desired material, whose dimensions can be carefully controlled, are obtained. This "template" method has been used to prepare polymers, metals, semiconductors, and other materials on a nanoscopic scale.     

Cylindrical block copolymer micelles and co-micelles of controlled length and architecture

Block copolymers consist of two or more chemically different polymers connected by covalent linkages. In solution, repulsion between the blocks leads to a variety of morphologies, which are thermodynamically driven. Polyferrocenyldimethylsilane block copolymers show an unusual propensity to forming cylindrical micelles in solution. We found that the micelle structure grows epitaxially through the addition of more polymer, producing micelles with a narrow size dispersity, in a process analogous to the growth of living polymer. By adding a different block copolymer, we could form co-micelles. We were also able to selectively functionalize different parts of the micelle. Potential applications for these materials include their use in lithographic etch resists, in redox-active templates, and as catalytically active metal nanoparticle precursors.     

Living polymerization methods

Living polymerization techniques can be used to achieve a high degree of control over polymer chain architecture. Examples of the type of polymers that can be synthesized include block copolymers, comb-shaped polymers, multiarmed polymers, ladder polymers, and cyclic polymers. This control of structure, in turn, results in polymers with widely diverse physical properties, even though they are made from readily available low-cost monomers.     

High-speed electrically actuated elastomers with strain greater than 100%

Electrical actuators were made from films of dielectric elastomers (such as silicones) coated on both sides with compliant electrode material. When voltage was applied, the resulting electrostatic forces compressed the film in thickness and expanded it in area, producing strains up to 30 to 40%. It is now shown that prestraining the film further improves the performance of these devices. Actuated strains up to 117% were demonstrated with silicone elastomers, and up to 215% with acrylic elastomers using biaxially and uniaxially prestrained films. The strain, pressure, and response time of silicone exceeded those of natural muscle; specific energy densities greatly exceeded those of other field-actuated materials. Because the actuation mechanism is faster than in other high-strain electroactive polymers, this technology may be suitable for diverse applications.